Study: Mexican immigrants trail others in learning English

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

CHICAGO — Nearly three out of every four Mexican immigrants speak English "just a little or not at all," the most among immigrant groups from Latin America, according to a study released Thursday.

By comparison, 35 percent of those born in Puerto Rico struggle with English, while 44 percent of those from South America do, according to the study by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center, which based its findings on a survey of 14,000 Latino adults nationwide.

Reasons for poor English skills among Mexican immigrants include lower education levels before entering the U.S., less time here and more opportunities to speak Spanish at work, the study found.

The struggles of Mexicans to integrate into the country's mainstream has fueled broader concerns over immigration.

Critics worry that a split society of Spanish speakers and English speakers is developing, as new ethnic enclaves form in suburban and rural areas around the country.